SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, July 14: In a first-of-its-kind initiative in Jharkhand, employees of the Dhanbad district health department will donate blood regularly to meet the daily requirement of patients at Sadar Hospital. Civil Surgeon Dr Alok Vishwakarma said the hospital needs a minimum of five units of different blood types every day to meet patient demand.
Currently, Sadar Hospital relies on the Blood Bank of Shaheed Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) for its blood supply. However, timely availability of specific blood groups—particularly for poor patients—has been a recurring challenge.
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Quarterly Blood Camps Planned for Health Workers
To address this issue, Dr Vishwakarma has announced the launch of quarterly blood donation camps involving health department staff. “For catering to the requirement of Sadar Hospital patients, I have planned to hold blood donation camps every three months with participation from medical officers as well,” he said.
He also stated that health staff participating in these camps will be granted a special one-day leave. Since ‘O’ positive blood group is in the highest demand at Sadar Hospital, the department will focus on collecting maximum units of this type.
Collaboration with Student and Volunteer Groups
Dr Vishwakarma, who took charge last week, also intends to collaborate with prominent blood donor organisations in Dhanbad. These include Fast Forward India (FFI) of IIT-ISM Dhanbad, the Rotaract Club of BIT Sindri, and Vihangam Yog Sanstha, represented by welfare officer Sheshnarayan Singh.
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Prior Approval Made Mandatory for Blood Camps
Raising concern over the misuse of blood donation camps by private nursing homes and hospitals, Dr Vishwakarma said that such camps are sometimes organised for commercial purposes, with blood taken for free from donors but later sold to poor patients.
To curb this malpractice, the health department has made it mandatory for organisers to obtain prior written permission before conducting any blood donation camp. Furthermore, organisers will now be required to provide a detailed account of the blood supplied to hospitals or nursing homes.
